Pencil Covers

We are in Kindergarden countdown around here.  I have become school obsessed.  I wanted to make something fun for myself, since I'm getting ready to start a new class too!  

Remember my Fancy Pen covers?  Well, I made a fun version:

The Pencil (Pen) Cover!
Supplies:
Embroidery floss in 4 colors (I'm going to give you the DMC floss color numbers to make a classic yellow pencil, but you can use any color for the body of the pencil.  The colors for the ends are what sells it as a 'pencil')
Wood: 437 (light brown)
Body: 972 (yellow)
Metal: 415 (light gray)
Eraser: 3326 or 894 -they both look good! (pink)
Size C crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Ballpoint pens (I used a Papermate Eagle, but I think a Bic Stic would work too.  Make sure you get one that has a black plastic tip holding the ink in... Which means that you're going to have to get a black ink pen...)

R1: With Wood color, make 6 sc in a magic loop.  Don't pull the loop tight, but close it enough that you can sl st the last sc to the first to join the round. (6 st)
R2-3: (from now on, the rounds are going to be done amigurumi style, continuously in one long spiral without joining) sc in each stitch (6 st)
R4-?: Change to Body color, sc in each stitch (use the entire skein - you'll know it's long enough when you run out of embroidery floss) (6 st)
R?+1-4: Change to Metal color, sc in each stitch (6 st)
R?+5-8: Change to Eraser color, sc in each stitch (6 st)
Sl st in next stitch. Fasten off.  Leave the Eraser and Wood ends, but weave in any other loose ends.

The tube is going to be very long and skinny.  It isn't easy to slide the pen into it, but I'm going to quote Julia Child here and say, "You just have to have the courage of your conviction" and shove it in.  I promise, it will fit, and if we made it bigger it would be too loose and wouldn't stay on.

Once you've got the cover on your pen, use your tapestry needle and the loose ends to really snug the cover onto the pen as you wind the ends in.

The 'pencils' would look great in a Pencil Case...

Okay, now I have some business I need to ask you about.  Jake and I have been knocking this idea around for a while, and we can't make a decision, so I thought I would ask YOU, Dynamos, for your opinion.  Quite often, for my posts, I make several versions of the item that I'm making.  I have to make the extras to pattern test before I unleash the pattern-y awesomeness on you guys. (For example, I have 2 of these pens earmarked for a present, but the rest??!)  So my house is starting to fill up with unused crochet goodness, and I'm running out of room.  I was thinking of starting an Etsy shop to get rid of share the extras, but we're not sure that anyone would even be interested.  What do you think?  Even if you don't normally leave a comment, I really would appreciate it if you would go ahead and leave one this time.  Think of it as a donation to my site.  In fact, I'll sweeten the deal, leave me a comment saying if you would be interested in my Etsy site or if I should donate/garage sale my leftovers.  Either way, I'll enter you to win one of my Pencil Pens, any color you want (I'll make it for you special!).  So leave me that info too.  So, since this has gone on so long, and just to clarify:
Please do me a solid and leave me a comment with your opinion about what I should do with my leftover crochet goodies (to Etsy, or not to Etsy), and the color Pencil Pen that you'd like if you're selected. (I will ship anywhere, international shipping is no problem)
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll select the winner next Friday, September 7th.

xoxo

Wedding Wishes

Happy Monday Dynamos!

Remember how I was talking about that book on DIY weddings that I had checked out from the library?  It inspired the wishing stars, which I originally put on this soap dispenser cover.  I was so happy with how it turned out that I've gone ahead and made a whole wedding set.  My Wedding Wish set includes ornament favors, a guest book pen, and comfy wedding flip flops for the reception/honeymoon.

Like I mentioned before, I just adore the idea of making an ornament favor to give to wedding guests.  I love the hand-crafted aspect of the favor, and I love that it's something that guests could treasure for years to come.

Wedding Wishes Star
Supplies:
Small amount of worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter 100% cotton in White)
Size G hook
6mm plastic pearl beads
4mm plastic pearl beads
Size 6/0 glass seed beads
Tulle netting (I used white)
Sewing thread (I used white)
Yarn needle and Sewing needle
5/8" ribbon (I used white organza)
Fiberfill

Make a Wishing Star  using the worsted weight yarn and size G hook.  Before you sew the 2 sides together, decorate the front piece with the tulle and beads.  I began by cutting a small circle of tulle and tacked it to the center of the star piece.  Then I hand sewed an assortment of plastic pearl beads and glass beads to decorate the star on top of the tulle using a sewing needle and thread.  Hide knots on the back of the piece.  Then using yarn and yarn needle, whip stitch the two sides of the star together, leaving the top point of the star unstitched.  Weave in end and fasten off yarn.  Stuff the star with fiberfill.  I used a 3" piece of ribbon for my hanger, but you are welcome to use a longer piece if you would like.  Make a loop with your ribbon and insert the ends in the open top of the star.  Pin in place if desired.  Using a needle and thread, stitch the top point of the star together, being careful to catch the ribbon in your stitches to attach the hanger to the star.   Fasten off the thread with a small knot and hide the ends invisibly.  Snip off any excess thread.

Of course, if I'm completely honest, I really just wanted a wishing star ornament for the medicine cabinet in my bathroom.  I am beyond thrilled.  But I still think it would be neat as a wedding favor, especially with a "A Wish Come True! Jaime and Jake Maraia 10/7/00" type tag.  You can feel free to use your own names and wedding date...

Wedding Wish Guest Book Pen
When I first envisioned my pen covers, I imagined that a covered pen would make a gorgeous guest book pen at weddings.  I also am enamored with the idea that it's a special pen the bride could use afterwards as a special reminder of her special day.

Supplies:
Size 3 crochet thread (I used Aunt Lydia's Fashion 3 Crochet Cotton in White)
Size D hook

6mm plastic pearl beads
4mm plastic pearl beads
Size 6/0 glass seed beads
Sewing thread (I used white)
Yarn needle and Sewing needle

I made a the cover with my Fancy Pen pattern.  I finished the pen completely, weaving in all the ends, before I began sewing the beads on to the top inch and a half of the pen.  I used a doubled piece of thread, since I wanted the beads to be stitched on sturdily.  I randomly attached the beads, using the pearls beads as the focal pieces, and filling in with the small glass beads.  Fasten off the thread with a small knot and hide the ends invisibly.  Snip off any excess thread.

The Wedding Wishes Flip Flops
Okay, this is my favorite project from my wedding set.  There are a ton of tutorials all over the internet on how to cover the straps of your flip flops in single crochet.  I knew that if I wanted to make some flip flop covers, I needed something special.  Something a little more glamorous.  The crochet design is simple, and the same as everyone else out there, but what we're going to do afterwards is what's going to take it from "Uh..." to "Ooooh!!!"  Trust me.

Supplies:

Small amount of worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter 100% cotton in White)
Size G hook
6mm plastic pearl beads
4mm plastic pearl beads
Size 6/0 glass seed beads
Sewing thread (I used white)
Yarn needle and Sewing needle
Pair of flip flops

I used the worsted weight yarn and single crocheted around the strap of the flip flop.  I really smooshed the stitches together to make sure that no part of the strap would show, and to give myself a good base to stitch the beads on to.

 I used the larger pearl beads and sewed them to the top of the strap with a doubled piece of thread so that they were extra sturdy.  I used about two dozen of the large beads.  I alternated which edge I stitched them to, and I sewed them about a 1/2" apart.  I added extras at the toe-strap V, since that part is going to show the most.

Next I sewed the smaller pearl beads to the top of the strap.  I added a small pearl bead between each large pearl bead, and one on each end, which will give it a sort of zig-zag effect.  It took 26 small pearl beads.

Then I went in with the glass beads and just added them wherever there was an empty space.   I really wanted to create the illusion that the top of the flops were jewel encrusted.   I paid special attention to making sure that the single crochet edge of the cover was included in the beading to break the line up and make it more difficult to figure out how the flip flops were made. When you feel like the flops are adequately bejeweled you can fasten off the thread with a small knot and hide the ends invisibly.  Snip off any excess thread. 

 These are my finished flip flops.  You don't have to feel limited to the bead choices that I made.  If your budget allows, I would highly recommend adding Swarovski  crystals to the mix.  It would be super cute to add a blue crystal as a something blue, if you need one.

I think that it would be super sweet to make pairs of reception flip flops for your bridesmaids and The Moms.   Everyone's feet hurt from pinchy shoes by that point of the day.  I made the black pair the same way as I made the white, except I used black yarn to cover the straps.  You could make them to match your wedding colors, and your bridesmaids would be super grateful!

Of course, you don't have to be planning a wedding to make these.  I pretty much live in flip flops, so I'm planning to wear these as just regular footwear.  Cheapy dollar flops aren't really my style, but these are so well disguised I would be comfortable wearing them everywhere.

Okay, Dynamos, I'm off for the day.  But I'll be back on Wednesday, with a giveaway!!!  So come back to get in on the fun!

xoxo

My First Giveaway!

Happy May Day to you all!  I am so excited that today my blog is being featured on Craft Gossip.  I want to share the love and happiness with everyone that comes by today, so I think it's time for a Crochet Dynamite Giveaway!

I recently purchased a metal punch, which has solved the problem that I was having with my mason jar lids  (unsurprisingly, a crochet top just doesn't protect the carpet very well when your jar of iced tea gets kicked over, assuming that the crochet lid doesn't fall into the tea all on it's own.).  Amazingly enough, if you punch a straw-sized hole in a canning lid, you get all of the convenience of a fast-food cup, but it's super eco-responsible (except for the straws, but that's something we'll address at a later date...).

So I would like to giveaway a set of 4 punched lids, so that you can enjoy Playdoh-free iced tea all summer long, with no worries about what will happen if the dog knocks over your jar...

I think you need a Jar Sock (still not sure about that name...) to go with the lids.  I'm not going to actually send the wide mouth quart-sized canning jars because I don't want them to break, and I have no confidence in my shipping skills.

I made the bee set to go together, so I have to send a Fancy Pen to go with the Jar Sock and lids!  It would be weird to separate them. I really like how the pen turned out with the bee charm.  Very fancy!

If you would like to be entered in the giveaway drawing, please leave a comment below.  Of course, I would love it if you wanted to follow my blog, so I will enter you twice if you follow me (and become a Crochet Dynamo!). If you want a third entry, you could like it on Facebook, +1 it on Google Plus, or blog about the giveaway.  Let me know in your comment which of the things you have done!

I am going to keep this giveaway open until 11:59 pm Friday, May 4th, so let your friends know (I bet they would share the prize with you!).  I will do the random drawing on Saturday morning. Please make sure that you leave an email address so that I can contact you if you win.  

I am so grateful that you've taken the time to look at my blog.  I hope that my patterns are fun and easy to follow, if they aren't, please leave me a comment or send me an email (CrochetDynamite@gmail.com) so that I can update the pattern to make the instructions more clear.  I would also love a picture if you actually make something from one of my patterns! I would love to post it, so everyone can see what you made (with your permission, of course)!  Thank you so much, Crochet Dynamos, you have made my day!

xoxo

The Fancy Pen and a Pencil Grip

I like fancy pens.  I like pens that don't look like you bought them 10 for $2 at Target.  Don't get me wrong, I like buying pens for 10 for $2, I just don't like them to look like that's what I did.  Fancy pens don't get accidentally stolen when you lend them out.  They might get purposefully stolen, but it's never an accident, and it's not very often.

I have made a lot of fancy pens in my day.  I have made dozens of polymer clay covered pens for myself and my family.  I have made my fair share of floral-tape-covered-flower-topped pens for shower gifts. I was passing a Dollar Tree the other day and the big bunches of fake flowers made me think about fancy pens, and then my brain got going on the idea of a fancy crochet pen...

I grabbed my hook and started experimenting.  What I discovered is that making pen covers is really, really fun!

They are a little bit tricky, and I found that I had to count the stitches in each row to keep them from narrowing on me.  There's not much leeway with the diameter of the small hollow tube, too big and it slides off, too small and you can't wedge the pen inside. There's also a lot of flexibility in the pattern, since there isn't a set number of rows to cover a pen. Some colors look good stretched along the length of the pen, some you have to smoosh the rows together to keep the pen barrel from showing and so they require more rows to get to the end.  I found that I needed 35-40 rows to cover each pen.

I also discovered that the same hollow tube pattern worked as an awesome pencil grip, if you stopped after 10 rows.  Mims has been having trouble gripping her pencils properly, and I'm hoping that putting a fancy new grip, in her favorite color, will inspire her to want to hold her pencil in a way that the school system will find appropriate.

If you want to start crocheting your own Fancy Pens, I would highly recommend leaving a long tail when you make your magic loop to start, and a long tail when you fasten off at the end.  I ended up using the long strands to help snug the case around the pen at the  tip, and to finish stitching the top together, and then tighten it into place at the top.  It was really helpful to have long pieces of yarn to work with, since it's such a small area to try to connect a new piece of yarn.

The Fancy Pen
I used size 3 super-fine crochet cotton and a size D hook and covered a Bic Stic pen. I also used a sharp tapestry needle with a large eye to weave the ends in, and a large eyed yarn needle for weaving ribbons.

R1: 7 sc in a magic loop, sl st to first st to join round. Do not pull loop closed. (7 st)
R2: ch 1, sc in each st, sl st to first st to join round. (7 st)
R3- 40+ : Repeat row 2 as necessary to cover pen (between 35 and 40 rows, check by sliding work onto pen occasionally as you work) (7 st)
Final Row: Put pen inside cover before your start the last row.  (Sc 2 st tog) 3 times, finish off.  That seventh stitch is tiny and there's no need to connect it to the last row.  Leave a long tail and stitch across the last row together, covering the top end of the pen.

The Fancy Pencil Grip
Make it just the same as the Fancy Pen, but finish at Row 10, without using the final row.  Finish off and weave in ends.  Your hollow tube is now perfect for making boring pencils fancy and keeping your fingers from cramping.

If a plain cover isn't fancy enough for you, you could add stripes.  I started my stripes at the 27th row, but you could make stunning pens if you started your stripes from the beginning.  I think that candy cane stripes would be fun, and black and white stripes are classic.  I used Mim's favorite colors on the red and turquoise striped pen, and I made the Captain America Pen for Jake.  I can imagine doing the stripes in school colors, or for your favorite sports teams.  I'm planning to make some Angels and Lakers pens for Christmas gifts...

 These last pens are Extra Fancy.  The off-white pen I wanted to weave a ribbon into. At Row 30, I chained 2 and did a row of dc, followed by 5 more regular rows.  Once the pen was covered and the ends were woven in, I used a large eyed yarn needle and wove my grosgrain ribbon through the dc row.  I used ribbon that I had, but I think it would look amazing with a white organza ribbon, which would make a big, fluffy bow.  I can imagine that it would be perfect for a wedding guest book pen, or if you used your wedding colors, it would make a great bridesmaid gift, or a special pen for the bride...

The crochet flower is just tied on to the green pen, but I think it's so fun and girly and just cute, cute, cute.  I have a cousin who is in 6th grade, and I think it would be right up her alley.  I also think it would make a cute May Day gift.  In fact, I think all of them would make cool Mother's Day gifts.  I know I would be thrilled to get one, but then again, I really love Fancy Pens...
xoxo